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Is Tancredo Too 'Tough On Terror'?

Tom Tancredo starts a new TV ad in Iowa this week that is sure to raise eyebrows, and provoke conversations. "Tough on Terror" is Tancredo's attempt at the famous 'Daisy' ad, but will it have the same impact?

Tancredo starts the ad by saying he approves the message, "because someone needs to say it."

Cut to a hooded man with a backpack walking from a mall parking lot, into the mall, as an announcer says:

"There are consequences to open borders beyond the 20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs. Islamic terrorists now freely roam U.S. soil, Jihadists who froth with hate here to do as they have in London, Spain, Russia. The price we pay for spineless politicians who refuse to defend our borders against those who come to kill."

By the end of the announcement, the hooded man has entered the mall, taken a seat at a bench, put his backpack on the side of the bench, and walks away. Then the sound of an explosion, and a fade to black.

"According to FBI reports, al Qaeda may be planning to strike at shopping malls later this year. And the candidates for president are talking about health care and energy policy? I'm Tom Tancredo and I say all issues pale in comparison to the fact that Islamic jihadists are here and plotting our destruction," the radio ad says in part. Indeed there are reports of terror threats against shopping malls in Chicago and Los Angeles, but the FBI cautions it has received similar warnings around the holiday season every year since the 9/11 attacks.

"I wouldn't call [the ads] over the top or alarmist at all," says Tancredo campaign spokesman Alan Moore. "I would call it recognizing a fact that illegal immigration is a threat to national security, and that's what we're trying to convey there," Moore says. The TV ad starts airing in Iowa this week, with plans to air it "through the Iowa caucus," Moore says. It will air later in New Hampshire, and Moore says the campaign has plans to air it nationally, though he didn't have details immediately available. Tancredo aired a few TV ads over the summer, and has produced effective direct-to-YouTube appeals aimed at voters, and other candidates.

"Yea, this is a scary commercial. I understand that, but it's a scary world in which we live. These are real threats," the retiring five-term Congressmantells Radio Iowa. "If you are going to run for president of the United States of America, you'd better tell people what you're going to do about this."

Is the scenario this ad suggests something that presidential candidates should discuss more explicitly? Or is this just a last-ditch effort by a long-shot presidential candidate? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Comments

Desparate actions by a desparate man. He is more desparate than a terrorist.

Posted by: G. Chell | November 13, 2007 8:06 AM

It's all about the camouflage stupid ........!!

Terrorists are coming across our borders blending in with ....... and camouflaged as ........those Mexican illegal aliens ....who are ........."just coming here for jobs that American's won't do".

And they are not only crossing in the dead of night through some wilderness. They are in tour buses streaming across the border to places like St. Louis, Roanoke, Chicago .......Cincinnati ....... Omaha .......Atlanta ........Denver .......Seattle.

It is a travesty ........... but blame el presidentes Foxe and Bush ......and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when the hit comes.

Posted by: BoWowBoy | November 13, 2007 8:36 AM

Tancredo simply points out the reality. And if that reality is scary and alarming it is because it is a scary and alarming situation. Because Jorge Bush and his collaborators are engaged in erasing the borders between the north American countries, they are increasing the probabilities of attacks in the USA.

Tancredo is absolutely on target (pardon the pun) with his ad. Of course, the MSM and their ostrich cohorts in the Dimocrat party refuse to confront the clear and present danger that Tancredo is addressing.

Posted by: Pamela | November 13, 2007 9:39 AM

"I say all issues pale in comparison to the fact that Islamic jihadists are here and plotting our destruction."

Even if that were true, how would it trump other issues? What if a terrorist killed 30 people, like in London, or 300, like in Spain, or even 3000, like in NY?

It STILL wouldn't trump other issues. 30,000 Americans die of the 'flu each year, for Christ's sakes.

I could save more American lives with $100 million to fix your country's lethal roads than Tancredo could save with $100 TRILLION fighting fictional terrorists.

The average Tancredo supporter has Type II diabetes and hypertension...yet they think terrorists are the main threat to their lives.

These are just people who can't grasp basic maths.

Posted by: Bud0 | November 13, 2007 10:12 AM

The only thing Tancredo's new ad accomplishes is to further perpetuate the xenophobic histeria that has paralyzed this nation. Instead of alienating the people around us who are different, we should try reaching out to them and promoting cross-cultural understanding to quell the fear that politicians seek to instill in everyone. It would seem to me that the more people from all types of backgrounds we have working together to solve problems like terrorism, the more comprehensive and far-reaching our approach would be, and our nation would be a lot safer.

And I approved this message, because, let's face it, someone has to say it.

Posted by: Ana | November 13, 2007 11:42 AM

It is true that we have an open border and that there are many people from many countries that want to see Americas dead.

Posted by: Peter Bultman | November 13, 2007 1:04 PM

TANCREDO FOR PRESIDENT!

NEW YORK (CNN)9-6-07 Mexican President Felipe Calderon Sunday demanded the United States surrender its sovereignty, abandon the rule of law and accede to Mexico's inherent supremacy.
In his state of the union address to the Mexican nation, Calderon established his imperialistic imperatives: "I have said that Mexico does not stop at its border, that wherever there is a Mexican, there is Mexico. And, for this reason, the government action on behalf of our countrymen is guided by principles, for the defense and protection of their rights."

Posted by: Deport | November 13, 2007 1:19 PM

Unfortunately for Tom, there are not enough biggots in this country to elect a biggot as president. Its a shame to know that there are enough biggots in Colorado to elect a biggot as a representative.

Posted by: american_patriot | November 13, 2007 1:28 PM

The Israeli lobby is at it again :-(

Posted by: samiam | November 13, 2007 1:39 PM

Last ditch effort.

Inspire fear.

"Smear and fear" as usual.

If something goes wrong in this country, take
the blame to somebody else.

Get a Job, Tom! (A Real Job)

Posted by: Arthur Sorensen | November 13, 2007 1:40 PM

If Tancredo's anti-illegal immigration policies were really about stopping potential terrorists at the border, he would be more worried about the Canadian border -- it's a lot more open.

Posted by: Craig | November 13, 2007 1:44 PM

There are arguably enough xenophobes in Tancredo's home district to elect him, but not in Colorado as a whole. Please note that Colorado has a sitting Senator (Ken Salazar) who is Hispanic, and who himself replaced an American Indian (Ben Nighthorse Campbell) in the job. (Alas, I reside in Tancredo's district. However, I did not vote for him.)

Posted by: Davo | November 13, 2007 1:44 PM

The illegal Islamics want to come here and take our terrorist jobs, and Tancredo knows that. Sure, most Americans don't want to be terrorists these days, which allows these illegals to come in and get those jobs. First they need to get tough laws against the sponsors of illegal terrorists so more American terrorists can get work.

Posted by: Rodney Lamprey, jr. | November 13, 2007 1:46 PM

Oh wait...look both ways...dont see anything....allrite.....go. Oh my god! Hurry! Hurry! I made it to the mail box, now get the mail...hurry, hurry..got it, now GO..GO..GO. Bob, weave, jump.....sphew....made it back inside with the mail....boy that was close, and man that was scary....I think they almost got me.

Posted by: Im scared | November 13, 2007 1:51 PM

FOOLS, so many FOOLS running for cover under the political shadows of their leader. When will the American public have enough of these doom sayers? When will the people take our government back. When will we stop sacraficing our youn men to fill the pockets of the corporations who buy and sell and support this type of political order. Who let the Devil in our house.

Posted by: oscar suquett | November 13, 2007 1:55 PM

Tancredo's not addressing any problem. He's simply pandering and anyone that falls for it is not capable of complex thoughts.

Illegal immigrants have been coming in and out of this country for DECADES with no attacks. Furthermore, the men who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks were here LEGALLY. So if you want to blame anyone, blame our shoddy government and remember to vote Democrat next time.

What does Tancredo think he'll protect us from? Terror? Ha! Ok let's close our borders and not let any more illegal immigrants in. Let's round up all the Muslims and send them back to "where they came from." Do you know what will happen if we do that?

Some American will be disgruntled about something else and we'll have another Timothy McVeigh or another Ted Kaczynski on our hands killing people because they too hate our government.

Also, I love how both those men are absent from so many conservatives arguments about this war on terror. Why don't we through single, ex-military white men out of the country too. they are just as bad as those Muslims, blowing up things and killing people.

No matter what we do, our nation cannot be protected against "terror." No matter what solution these politicians come up with there will be people who want to kill. So stop falling for these excuses to be racist that masquerade as patriotism and protection.

D. Jones

Posted by: Commu6 | November 13, 2007 1:56 PM

A Tancredo ate my baby!

Posted by: Tony Gunter | November 13, 2007 1:57 PM

Again we have the politics of fear. This man is the embodiment of all that is wrong with the political climate in this country. During the cold war there were communists under every bed and now it is so-called terrorists who proliferate and are everywhere.
Please do not be swayed by such rhetoric.

Posted by: harebob | November 13, 2007 1:58 PM

Are you a Democrat, Republican or Southerner?
> > Here is a little test that will help you decide.
> >
> > You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small
> > children.
> >
> >
> > Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the
> > corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah,
> > raises the knife, and charges at you.
> >
> >
> > You are carrying a Glock .40 cal semiautomatic, and you are an
> > expert shot.
> >
> > You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do
> > you do?
> > .............................................................
> >
> >
> >
> > A Democrat's Answer:
> >
> > Well, that's not enough information
> > to answer the question! Does the man look poor! Or oppressed? Have I
> > ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack? Could we
> > run away? What does my wife thi nk? What about the kids? What does
> > the law say about this situation? Why am I carrying a loaded gun
> > anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my
> > children? Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content
> > just to wound me?
> > Should I call 9-1-1? Why is this street so deserted?
> > What can I do to understand his behavior and relate to his concerns?
> > We need to raise taxes, have "paint and weed day" and make this a
> > happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
> >
> > ...........................................................
> >
> >
> > A Republican's Answer:
> >
> > BANG! ...........................................................
> >
> >
> > A Southerner's Answer:
> >
> > BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
> > BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click..... (Sounds of rapid
> > reloading) BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
> > BANG! BANG! Click!
> > Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy!
> > Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?"
> > Son: "Can I shoot the next one?!"
> > Wife: "You ain't taking that to the taxidermist!"

I am proud to be a southerner and I am not a bigot. All you cross cutural acceptance wimps would have our country speaking spanish and arabic, and pleading with illegal aliens to mow your lawns. Wake up America illegal immigraiton is our largest threat. It threatens our economy, social welfare state, and safety.

Posted by: Mdswearingen | November 13, 2007 2:14 PM

I agree that Tancredo is about as shallow as they come and D. Jones makes a valuable observation on the "home-grown" terrorists, but to leave the borders wide openan thereby make the entry of would be terrorists relatively simple, makes little sense.

Posted by: Concerned | November 13, 2007 2:17 PM

A Southerner's Answer:

Shoot your family, then sell your gun to terrorist, claim that a black man did it, watch yourself on Fox News, and have Trent Lott earmark a million dollars compensation to you.

Posted by: Rodney | November 13, 2007 2:35 PM

Tancredo's 100% correct, but he is also overplaying the fear card. But to his credit he is playing his one issue for all it's worth, even as he knows his role in this election is merely to raise awareness on this one issue. His bypassing his secure House seat for this, though, is baffling, unless he's setting himself up for a Senate run in 2010, but he could have done that while still in the House.

But he will be done soon as he's broke and has no traction anyway. His supporters will either go to Hunter before he drops out and then/or onto Dr. Ron Paul, who isn't dropping out and is on the rise.

But Tancredo would make someone a good Director of Homeland Security.

Posted by: Tannim | November 13, 2007 2:45 PM

Tancredo is absolutely right. Worse than any terrorist attack is our open borders. The illegal mexican aliens kill more people than any terrorist ever could. Here in texas this state is suffering. dallas now has the highest crime rate in the nation. It used to be a nice clean city. In the 7 years I have been here that has all changed. illegals are stealing the copper out of air conditioners. Stealing road signs... even climbing under suvs to steal catalytic converters. There are robberies at gun point at the fast food drive throughs... and that is during the day. Education across the nation is going down hill. Around here a white kid is often attacked in school by mexican gang members. People I know with kids are trying to leave here. so to all of you who think this is a scare tactic....pull your heads out of your backsides and look around. healthcare - nearly 1000 hospitals have been run out of business in the past few years here in the US. Illegal aliens are flooding the emergency rooms and getting free healthcare. they are pumping out kids, all at our expense. Texas is lost.... do you want the rest of the US to end up the same way. I don't.

Posted by: texan | November 13, 2007 3:06 PM

Tancredo is a psycho who is at war with huge monsters that dont exist.

Posted by: Aamir | November 13, 2007 3:07 PM

Bud0 nailed it. This country lacks basic risk assessment skills and the Tancredo's of the world are counting on that weakness to catapult themselves into the Oval Office.

Terrorists don't come from Mexico. Illegal aliens are a definite problem, although not as bad a texan would like you to believe. Sorry to spoil your delusion bro, but Texas has sucked a lot longer than for just the last 7 years you've been there. That sucky-ness is why I wouldn't transfer there to take a job 17 years ago.

But the real travesty in this whole "illegals=terrorists" mantra is that legal immigration is being held hostage by people who can exploit fear of foreigners. The US needs workers and it needs workers from outside the US to fill those jobs. We've needed higher quotas for Mexican visas for a long time, but racism has kept the numbers ridiculously low. That fact, and a shortage of unskilled workers her in the US, guarantees the pressure for an illegal immigration explosion.

For those who worry that Mexicans will not hold their allegiance to the US, or that they are secretly working to reunite the Southwest with Mexico, consider this: they are leaving a country that wouldn't provide them with enough money to keep their families alive. Some will probably make money to send home and will return there eventually. That is the nature of immigration: Irish and Chinese immigrants did the same in the 19th Century; Polish and Italian likewise in the 20th Century. But what is also true is that you can tour any of the *real* malls (not Tancredo's fictional ones) and see the children of those immigrants adopting the same culture and habits as the native population. They are the same consumerist, self-indulgent NIMBY's that the rest of American tend to be.

So all of the anti-immigrant rhetoric, once property reduced to its core elements, is nothing more than just racist screed and should be recognized as such.

Posted by: Marv Swett | November 13, 2007 4:04 PM

Tancredo has been warning us about illegal aliens for a decade. This ad reminds us border security is an issue with consequences and not just about some nannies and gardeners. Thanks to our lazy politicians, greedy businessmen and uninvolved populace there is an infrastructure of infiltration for illegal aliens any terrorists can use. Of course we don't want to believe that so we believe the worthless promises of Hillary Clinton that she'll keep us safe like George Bush and her husband didn't.

If you had read any of the recent "Immigration Reform Legislation" you would understand that it had almost nothing to do with reform, security or immigration, it was all about keeping cheap, explotable labor flowing into the country. If you want to find out what jobs Americans won't do, try paying a livable wage, then you'll find out that crops don't rot in the fields and beds get made and Liberals won't be making racist assumptions about jobs only fit for Mexicans.

By the way the 9/11 terrorists were here illegally, they were absconders. The Ft Dix plotters were illegal, from the middle east via Mexico. We cannot be 100% secure from immaginative psychotics but we can at least lock the back door and attempt to know who in the country is trying to kill us.

The pro illegal alien crowd wants us to choose between false choices, whether to be draconian, have mass round ups and deport everybody or open the borders, don't track anyone and rubber stamp visas. We don't have to do either, we can tighten border security to at least approximate the standards of other countries and through work place enforcement, let the illegal aliens return home as the job magnet vanishes.

Posted by: Sejanus | November 13, 2007 4:30 PM

Tancredo is crazy. It didn't happen in Madrid, it didn't happen in London, and it won't happen here...Oh wait...

Posted by: Pete | November 13, 2007 4:44 PM

There are many articles saying that terrorists were caught coming into the US from Mexico. We'll never know how many made it. When a President of a foreign country calls for our sovereignty and his citizens cheer, we have a problem. Calderon and Fox has made the Mexican citizen believe they have a right to the U.S. Illegal immigration in this country is out of control. They are not crossing our southern border because they love us or our country.

Posted by: reconquista | November 13, 2007 5:06 PM

Some of these posts are from the same reconquistas we see on other articles. You can post several times with a different name. Most of the comments do not reflect the opinion of 90% of the U.S. citizen. Notice I point out U.S. If you say Americans, mexican reconquistas think your including them. "America is not a nation, it's a continent." The United States of America is still a mighty nation.

Posted by: Topper2 | November 13, 2007 6:11 PM

Politicians and Americans for that matter should take a look at "American Harvest." Its a non-partisan feature length documentary about immigration as it relates to agriculture. It presents the facts as they are without political bias.

Every farmer I have spoken to wants to secure our borders. And they also want a workable solution to LEGAL immigration.

Americans have to understand that we all need to appreciate and respect those people who grow and harvest our crops.

The men and women that put food on our kitchen tables deserve no less.

Anti-immigration sentiment sweeps across America. A journey from Florida to New York, including a trip to the Mexican border, reveals the lives and issues of legal and illegal migrants and farmers working toward a better life. Is the immigration system in America flawed? Immigrants are dying to feed America.

American farmers and agriculture rely on immigrants to do jobs that Americans won't do or feel that are simply beneath them. Some only see the problems in the news from the perspective of those extreme points of view of the left and the right side of our political system.

Discrimination of immigrants has existed in the United States since the English persecuted the Irish. It was once generally considered that if you were Greek or Southern Italian you were not white.

American Harvest points out the inconsistencies of the current policy on immigration. See the changing face of immigrant America as it relates to Agriculture.

Follow legal and illegal farm workers and the farmers caught in the middle of a flawed immigration policy.

Posted by: Angelo Mancuso | November 13, 2007 10:29 PM

Tom Tancredo is not the darling of the big money, big power and bigger influence elite. They fear him because he is influencing the politics in this country away from the massive immigration (both legal and illegal) supported by big business and the huge never ending campaign to open our borders that arrived with the coming of the Security and Prosperity Partnership as proposed by Robert Pastor in "Building a North American Community." Tom Tancredo has said he will stop this push for a security and economic merger of the US, Canada, and Mexico if he is elected president. Support and vote for Tom Tancredo for a secure America.

Posted by: John R. Wunderlich | November 13, 2007 11:13 PM

You know what, he should be president. Look, he is dumb, stupid, have IQ of 5yr old and plays with people's fear. Have all the quality of a good politician and president.

Posted by: sunny | November 14, 2007 3:40 PM

Thank you, Tom Tancredo, for finally voicing what millions of us in the Midwest have been complaining about over the breakfast table and the coffee counter for 30 years.

Head 'em up! And move 'em out!

Posted by: In Illinois | November 16, 2007 4:43 PM

Tancredo simply points to the facts. And how one can be too tough on terror - that has to be explained to me...and to all those who died on 9-11.

Those who haven't read the Koran, who don't know there have been 10,000 terrorist attacks around the world since 9-11 (see Religion of Peace dot com for details), and don't understand the goal of Islam and Sharia law will never take terrorists seriously.

For those who liken terrorism to a disease - we are constantly bombarded with ads and guides on what to eat, exercise, etc. to prevent the onset. If somehow you equivocate the two, then what Tancredo is saying actually makes 100% sense - prevent terrorism before it happens just like you would a disease or driving drunk. If only we could see an anti-terror campaign like we've seen anti-gun, anti-gang, anti-HIV, MADD, etc. campaigns. We'd certainly be much further ahead then we are now.

Just last week we found an illegal immigrant Muslim had gotten into the FBI and CIA and searched computers and given classified info to Hamas.

The reality is the border is open and if America wants to remain the bastion of hope and freedom it has been for two centuries then we must defend the borders. And please note that Islamic terrorists are infiltrating almost EVERY country in the world it's not just a US problem.

Stick your heads back in the sand and pretend everything is cool...don't worry about the Muslims - they love America - so much they want it to be Muslim owned.

Posted by: Tommy T | November 16, 2007 8:34 PM

Ignorance is Bliss.

Islam is a Terrorist organization and all its adherents are caught up in this cult of death to the point if they try to leave they will be killed.

Every Muslim will kill you if told to do so.

Ignore this at your own peril.

Posted by: Paul | November 17, 2007 12:46 AM

To all the peole for legalizing the illegal immigrants.... You will come to regret it. all of you that say racist because people don't want them here. race has NOTHING to do with it. crime rates are the problem. google fox 4 news and read the dallas headlines. 90% of the crime is from mexicans. You Can NOT deny that.

Posted by: texan | November 18, 2007 4:55 PM

How is this ad not "hate speech?"

Tancredo the Christian Crusader should not be compared with LBJ and the Daisy ad.